Statue of Joséphine de Beauharnais in Fort-de-France

The statue of Napoleon’s first wife, first Empress of the French, lingered beheaded in Martinique, one of the remaining overseas territories of France. In July 2020 the Statue was permanently demolished. This case introduces the role of non-restoration as a memory policy to prevent and/or react to conflicts rooted in history. The passivity of authorities, in this case, might be supporting certain interpretations of history, related to colonialism and the reintroduction of slavery to the island.